Norway and its aim to be carbon leaderby | 12-03-2013 08:54 |
|---|
 In May 2012, Norway opened the world's largest most advanced laboratory for testing carbon capture technologies at Mongstad, near Bergen. It is called Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) Norwegian state through its CCS agency Gassnova and its majority shareholding in the oil and gas company Statoil. However, a number of other companies including Shell have taken a share. This centre is going to prove how we can capture CO2 cost effectively and efficiently from things like flue gases or refinery processes. With the opening of this lab, human can now test new substances to capture the CO2, which then can be injected under the subsurface, back into the reservoir, and locked up forever. TCM has been a long time coming.The Norwegian government and Statoil agreed to start building it back in 2006.The eventual cost came in at around $1bn, 10 times more than had been foreseen.Many governments, even as rich as Norway's, might have baulked at the escalating cost. However, the power station at Mongstad will be one of the facility's sources of CO2-laden gas has a history of claiming political scalps. The Mongstad facility is fitting, given Norway's long history of innovation in the environment field. A lot of environmentalists and politics said that Norway is very brave in taking the lead in carbon issue, i.e CO2 price in 1990s. As the world needs more energy to create development and economic growth to lift millions out of poverty. What we have to do is to reduce emissions and increase the production of energy. Carbon capture technology is the key. In the mean time, hopefully, more countries will be brave enough to invest a loads of money like Norway to protect the environment |
